Braves Rumors: Dylan Cease, Marcell Ozuna trade, Eduardo Rodriguez

For a team that's already the odds-on favorite to win the 2024 World Series, and by a considerable margin at that, the Atlanta Braves have been quiet so far this offseason. This probably isn't for lack of trying — the Braves were linked to free agents Aaron Nola and Sonny Gray before they signed with the Phillies and Cardinals respectively — and GM Alex Anthopoulos should never be counted out or thought not to have a trick up his sleeve, especially not when the team decides to increase payroll.

Even though the hot stove has mostly been kept to a simmer in Atlanta so far and many dominoes across the league have yet to fall, it feels like just a matter of time, especially with Winter Meetings just around the corner. The Braves have been mentioned in tandem with many of the most high-profile free agents in their explorations this offseason: Nola, Gray, Shōta Imanaga, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, even Shohei Ohtani. It's no surprise; Atlanta is a destination for players who are interested in winning titles.

But rumors are still just rumors, and everyone knows that baseball rumors can spiral like nothing else. All it takes is anyone with even a smidge of authority tweeting about hearing things about a player or team (looking at you, Howie Rose) for a connection to be made. It's hard to sort through the noise, but herein lies our attempt to try. Here are three Braves rumors that could be of some merit.

While most conversations and rumors have been centered around free agents so far, the name picking up the most steam following Sonny Gray's signing is Dylan Cease, who isn't a free agent but has emerged as one of the most sought-after trade chips. The White Sox have made it clear that everyone except perhaps Luis Robert Jr. is on the chopping block, ready to be all but given away to create something resembling a competitive team next year.

Atlanta already has an open line of communication with Chicago given their trade of five players, including Mike Soroka and Nicky Lopez, to Chicago for Aaron Bummer on Nov. 16. Cease, Chicago's ace, had a bit of a rough year, ending with a 4.58 ERA over 177 innings, but he's still young and he's only a year out from a 2022 season that placed him second in Cy Young voting. And anyway, who didn't have a rough year in Chicago?

Cease could round out a young and lethal 1-2-3 sequence behind Spencer Strider and Max Fried, provided the Braves could help facilitate a return to form for him. The knock on Cease is his BB/9 rate, which has average just over four throughout his career as opposed to Strider and Fried's, which have remained sub-three throughout their careers. However, if all three could stay healthy, they could potentially give the Braves 540 innings and hundreds of strikeouts between them. Cease's presence in Atlanta would also give them not just one but two of the best mustaches in all of MLB, which is not nothing.